Tension

Snuck this one in just under the wire! I hope its length will make up for my lateness in posting it. Have a great week, see you guys on Saturday! 

*****

The next evening, Gavin and I met with our realtor, Maureen, who was a friend of his mom's. Offers for the Winchester house had to be in by 6 PM on Wednesday. We decided to offer just over the asking price, which basically put us at the top of our budget.

"Well, this is a very generous offer," she said as we signed the papers. "However, it's not leaving you with much wiggle room if there's a counter offer."

Gavin and I looked at each other. We had discussed this at length after leaving the open house. "Well, we don't want to risk missing out by low balling," Gavin said, parroting my words from the previous evening.

"Okay, well as long as we're on the same page," Maureen replied.

We finished signing all of the paperwork and pushed it back to her. "Wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I usually hear back an hour or two after offers go in, so I'll give you a call Wednesday night and let you know. Good luck!"

Gavin and I walked out towards our cars. "Do you want to come over to my place on Wednesday and order Thai while we wait for the news?" he asked.

"Yeah, that sounds good..." I started to say, before I realized something that had me groaning in frustration. "Shit, I can't. I have stupid mock trial prep with my group."

"Can't you skip it?"

"I wish I could babe, but it was really hard for us to find a time that worked with all of our schedules."

He sighed with exasperation. "This is a one time thing, Allie. Can't you just miss this one study session?"

My spine stiffened with tension. "Gav, it's not just a study session. The mock trial starts Monday and we have to prep for it. I can't just bail on them."

"But you can bail on me?"

I pressed my lips together and took a deep breath in an attempt to stay calm. "Gavin, I'm not bailing on you. These plans were made weeks ago. I can't just screw over four other people." I tried to put a conciliatory note in my voice. "Look, we are supposed to be done by 8. I'll try to cut out a bit early and come over -"

He cut me off, his jaw rigid. "Don't worry about it," he said in a cold voice. "I'll just text you or something."

With that, he slid into his car. He didn't look at me once as he pulled away. I know, because I watched until his headlights faded away in the distance.

I slunk into my car and closed my eyes, resting my head back against the seat. Frustration welled up at me, both at law school sucking up all of my time, and at Gavin for making me feel like shit about it. I pounded the steering wheel in frustration, accidentally hitting the horn and shocking the hell out of a pedestrian that happened to be walking by.

I stewed in my anger the whole way back to my apartment. When I got home I went straight to bed, leaving my phone on my dresser so I wouldn't give in to the temptation to call or text Gavin. Why should I have to call? I told myself. He's the one being unreasonable.

I tossed and turned half of the night. When I woke up the next morning, I had no new messages.

*****

I arrived at my friend Bridget's apartment at 5:24 on Wednesday, bearing books, binders, and cookies from a bakery around the corner from my place.

Lianne and Wyatt were already there, their notes and snacks littering Bridget's kitchen table. The four of us had met up during our first year in Contract Law class, and had formed an unofficial study group that had managed to stick together over the lag few years. Law school is kind of like high school in that way; once you find your clique, you stick with them.

I plopped my stuff down and Wyatt immediately began hoovering a cookie. I swear he didn't even chew it. At six foot five, with flame red hair and a physique often compared to a flagpole, Wyatt definitely stood out in a crowd. His striking appearance was only outshone by his ridiculous goofball sense of humour. "Fuck it," he groaned, already halfway through his second cookie. "Let's just bribe our fake judge with these cookies."

Lianne cocked an eyebrow. "That would require you to show enough restraint to actually leave enough cookies for someone else." She smiled, brushing a short lock of jet black hair behind her ear. Lianne was small and slight, basically a wisp of a person. Her size often led people to patronize or cutesify her... Until she shredded them to ribbons with her razor-sharp wit.

Wyatt paused, the cookie halfway to his mouth, considering this. "Fair point," he conceded. "Withdrawn." He popped the rest of the cookie in his mouth.

Bridget came over and pulled the box away.  "Try not to devour all of our snacks before Julian gets here," she said playfully. Her long, strawberry blond hair was pulled back off of her face, showing off her classically beautiful looks. Bridget was my closest friend in law school, and the only one I actually spent time with outside of school-related functions. She was kind and helpful, but was also one of the most hardworking and determined people that I'd ever met.

"Oh God," I groaned at the mention of the only member of our little group that o really and truly could not stand. "I was hoping he'd bailed."

The others exchanged looks. The animosity between Julian and I was not exactly a secret. "Allie," Bridget said in an overly patient tone one would use to reason with a kindergartener who didn't want to share the purple crayon, "Try to be nice to him. It's going to be a long night if you're constantly at each other's throats."

"I'm always nice," I replied in a bratty. kindergartener-like tone.

Just then, the Devil himself strolled in. Ugh. Julian Pierce. The name says it all. He was an obnoxious, arrogant, trust-funded, pocket square wearing, Harvey Specter-wannabe douche. Just all around ugh.

"Hey all," he said lazily. "Wyatt, Lianne, Bridge." He smirked at me. "Alexandra."

"Julian, so nice of you to join us!" I said in a sickly sweet tone. "I was worried something had happened to you, but fortunately it was just your complete disregard for our time."

He chuckled. "Looks like you upgraded the pine tree up your ass to a California redwood."

I opened my mouth to retort but, catching Bridget's eye, clamped my jaw shut and opened my book. "Now that we're all here," I said, "Shall we get started?"

We worked for the next few hours. Somehow I managed to refrain from vaulting across the table and scratching Julian's eyes out, swallowing my rage at every snide comment he threw my way. I caught Bridget's gaze every so often and roll my eyes in Julian's direction. She'd shrug sympathetically, but somehow didn't seem to find him as insufferable as I did.
Yet despite how much I despised him, I had to admit he was incredibly smart and a good asset to the group. Not that I'd ever admit it out loud.

As six thirty, then seven, then seven thirty rolled around, I subtly checked my phone under the table more and more often for news from Gavin. I'd barely heard from him since our standoff on Monday night, and I was tense waiting for the news.

I was checking my phone for the umpteenth time when Wyatt waved a hand in front of my face. "Hellooooo Allie?" he said.

"Sorry, what did you say?" I asked.

"We need the shopkeeper's testimony. Do you have it in your pile?"

"Yeah I think so, sorry." I started shuffling my papers around.

Julian's silky smooth voice had my hackles up. "Who has you obsessively checking your phone? Trouble in paradise with the blue-collar boyfriend?"

Ah yes, mocking Gavin and our relationship. One of Julian's favourite pastimes.

I willed down the annoyance that rose at his comment, which had hit closer to the mark than I wanted to admit. "I'm just expecting a call," I said, through gritted teeth.

"What's the thrilling development taking place? New laundry detergent? Boyfriend needs your help choosing between tube sock brands?" Julian mocked.

Wyatt seemed to sense my murderous feelings, or else he saw the steam pouring out of my ears. He quickly defused the situation.

Yet I couldn't shake the tension coiling me up my insides. Between Julian's perpetual smirk that I itched to slap off of his face, and the radio silence from Gavin, I was wound tight as a wire.

When my phone finally buzzed at 8:17, my jaw was aching from clenching it with tension. A tension that tightened and snapped when I read Gavin's message.

Another couple counter-offered. We didn't get the house.

The post...

Will be up tomorrow! I won't even lie - it was just too beautiful outside to sit in front of my computer.  Post is almost done but I'm heading to bed. See you tomorrow!

349 Winchester Road

This post is a little shorter, but in celebration of hitting ten thousand views (I mean, SERIOUSLY? You guys are amazing!), there will be another post up tomorrow! Thank you all so much for reading. It means more than you know. 

*****

The next day, Gavin and I went to check out the open house that I'd basically fallen in love with online.

As we were driving, Gavin tried to prevent me from getting my hopes up too high. "We just started looking, so don't be upset if this house isn't the one for us. Sometimes the pictures look a whole lot better than the actual house," he warned.

"Gav, I'm just excited to actually find something we might like after weeding through garbage for the last few weeks." This was partially true. I'd been getting so disheartened looking through the listings, and it was so wonderful to find a house worth checking out in person. But when I'd seen the pictures, I'd felt more than relief. It  had just felt.... right. Like slipping on a pair of jeans that fit perfectly. I wouldn't admit it to Gavin, but my hopes were high.

It took us roughly half an hour to get to the house from my apartment. ("That's with Sunday traffic, though," Gavin pointed out.) Despite Gavin's efforts to manage my expectations, I couldn't help but feel flutters of excitement as we got closer.

The neighbourhood was perfect. It felt so quiet compared to where I was living. There were a few families outside, with kids riding their bikes or being pulled in wagons. On the corner, there was a cute little park with a jungle gym and a swing set. It was so quaint that it made my ovaries tingle.

Finally, we turned into Winchester Road, and pulled up to a stop outside of number 349. It was an olive green stucco bungalow with white trim. I got a little nervous as I noticed many people coming and going, mostly young couples like ourselves.

Gavin took my hand as we walked up the cobble stone path. "Remember," he said in an undertone, "this is just the first house we are looking at."

I rolled my eyes at him and laughed. "I knoooooow," I replied, exaggerating my exasperation.

We stepped into the entryway and immediately all of Gavin's attempts to manage my expectations flew out the window. I was hopelessly in love.

As we walked through, I only became more certain that this house was the one. The kitchen and living room were open concept style, with hardwoods throughout. There was no dining room, but instead a bar with tall stools built into the kitchen island. The master bedroom was a fair size, and opened up onto the deck and a nicely landscaped yard. The basement was finished, with a deep pile carpet and a second bathroom. It wasn't the most opulent house, and most people might not have given it a second thought. I couldn't put my finger on why, but I just felt like it was home.

Gavin pointed out some imperfections and mused aloud about the wiring as we walked along, but I couldn't even really focus on what he was saying. All I wanted to do was kick the rest of these people out of my house, dammit!

We walked back through it twice more before Gavin finally convinced me to leave. We got into the car and he turned to face me. "Well, some of the electrical needs to be replaced, and the roof will need to be done in a few years..." He trailed off as he took in the smile on my face. He grinned at me. "You loved it, huh?"

I smiled even wider and shrugged. "I more than loved it. I want to live there."

He raised his eyebrows. "You do realize that would mean moving in the middle of the school year, possibly during your finals? I know we weren't really thinking about actually MOVING right away. I mean, this is only the first house that we've looked at! This was just supposed to help us figure out what we did and didn't want so we could look seriously in the spring."

"I know, but this house is just... Perfect. I could just picture us living there so easily. Couldn't you?"

He half-smiled, conceding. "I really could." His brow furrowed again as he asked, "You're sure that you're ready for this? It's not what we had discussed..."

I smiled and leaned over the console to press a gentle kiss on his lips. I pulled back slightly, brushing a piece of his hair out of his eyes. "Know how I know it's the one?"

"How?"

I touched my forehead to his. "I got the same feeling that I had about you on our first date. I just knew that you were the one, and I know this house is the one, too."

He laughed his low rumbly laugh again, his breath tickling my face. "Well, how can I argue with that?" he teased, planting a kiss on my forehead.

I leaned back into my seat. "You can't."

"Alright then," Gavin said, grinning. "I'll call the realtor tomorrow and we can put in an offer."

He started the car and pulled out of the spot. I turned back as we drove away, my hand on Gavin's knee as I gazed upon the house that I hoped would become our home.

Wham, Bam, Thank you ma'am!

Hey everyone! Looks like the whole blogosphere had a pretty crazy week. I'm sorry I didn't get a bonus up this week like I said I would. I don't want to break any promises about bonuses so I won't promise one for the upcoming week, but I'll try my best to get something up for you guys.

Also, I'm finding it hard to get the posts up by noon. I hate rushing and then realizing that I've left typos in there. Posting will still be on Saturdays, but I'm going to change the time to 5PM CST. 

I added a little extra onto this post to make up for the missed bonus. Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

Thanks for sticking by me this week!

*****

"Heinous. Hideous. Heinously hideous."

It was a Saturday morning and Gavin and I were camped out on my bed, eating cinnamon buns and scrolling through listings together on my laptop. We had a pretty modest budget and were looking at buying a small house in one of the older suburbs. Close enough to downtown that everything was still accessible, far enough away that we could afford to eat something other than ramen for the rest of our lives. 

Or so we thought. Right now, the prospects  were looking pretty bleak. Everything in our price range and in the neighbourhoods that we liked seemed to be falling apart or looked like someone had died in it. We had yet to find even one listing worth checking out in person.

Gavin pointed out, "Okay this one looks alright. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, half finished basement... Needs a new roof and updated electrical though."

"Ugh," I groaned, flopping back onto the pillows. "I never realized how poor we are. How is it possible that a girl I graduated with who once asked me whether your body could melt through the holes on a trampoline if you fell onto it from high enough is living in a gorgeous new 5 bedroom house and we can only afford these crap piles? Life is truly unfair."

Gavin laughed. "Guess you should've married rich."

I grinned at him. "It's still not too late for that."

We scrolled aimlessly for a few more minutes. All of a sudden, something caught my eye. "Wait, Gav! Click on that one."

He opened the link to a set of photos depicting an absolutely adorable house. It was an 850 square foot bungalow with a fully finished basement. There were 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and most of the house looked like it had been renovated in the last decade. My favourite part was the cute, tiny sunroom at the back which led out to a gorgeous deck that wrapped around one side of the house. I squeezed Gavin's arm excitedly. "We have to go see this one!"

He clicked out of the photos and read through the description of the house. "The electrical may need work, but it looks good otherwise. It's at the high end of our budget, but I think we could swing it." He paused, scrolling down, "There's even an open house tomorrow!"

"Perfect!" I exclaimed. For the first time since coming home from Greece, I felt genuinely excited about the idea of us moving in together. I reached over and closed the laptop. "Now, how about you come dirty me up in the shower before my game?" I hopped out of bed, shedding my silky robe to the floor. Clad only in a pair of panties, I started walking to the bathroom. I paused in my doorway, looked back over my shoulder and cocked an eyebrow at Gavin, who was lazily watching me from bed. "You coming?" I asked.

He unfolded himself from bed and came over to me, sliding his hands around my waist and up to cup my breasts. He circled one nipple with his fingertips and lowered his head to my neck. "Not before you do," he murmured, as he began to kiss and nibble a trail down my shoulder.

He nudged me into the hallway. With one of his hands, he trapped both of my wrists above my head against the wall. I leaned forward, grinding my ass back against his hips. With his free hand, Gavin stroked his way down and slid his fingers into my panties. I moaned deeply, grinding back into him even harder. 

By the time he slid my panties and his boxers to the floor, I was halfway to exploding. He slid into me gently, and began to rock his hips slightly back and forth. I pushed back against him and moaned, "Harder."

He picked up the pace, thrusting harder and deeper into me. He reached around and began to rub me gently, and that was my undoing. I came hard, my nails clawing the wall. Gavin leaned forward and bit down hard on my shoulder as he came.

We stayed like that for a moment, enjoying that wonderful haze that follows morning sex. He slid out of me gently and slapped my ass playfully. "Now how about that shower?"

I laughed and followed him into the bathroom.

*****

That afternoon was our first coed game of the season. Rachel and I got to the change rooms to find that most of the team was already there. 

"A-town!" One of my teammates, Josh, sprung up to envelop me in a huge hug. Josh was an amazing soccer player and a total clown. His personal life was kind of a disaster though. A few years before, he'd been engaged, when he discovered his fiancée cheating on him with one of her coworkers. The worst part was, she had begged for his forgiveness and he'd given her another chance, only to have it happen again with the same guy. Since then, he'd basically been indiscriminately banging random girls left and right. It was hard to watch but I guess you couldn't really blame the guy. 

I said hi to everyone and sat down. Just then, Ainsley came in with Reid and Sarah. I waved hello, and Ainsley introduced them to the group. I refocused my attention on changing from my bra to my sports bra without flashing anyone. It's an art form. I had unclasped my bra from under my sports bra, and was pulling it off when my eyes happened to fall on a deliciously shirtless Reid. 

I've been changing with the team for years and have never once felt self conscious or weird or anything. Suddenly I felt like a voyeur, and was simultaneously very aware that I was undressing in close proximity to a bunch of guys. I hurriedly threw my jersey on and changed into my shorts as quickly as possible. I tried to concentrate on making small talk with Rachel while I laced up my cleats, fighting the blush that was threatening to rise in my face. 

I had just finished up when we heard the buzzer from the field, indicating that the last game had ended. We filed out to the field. I warmed up and stretched with Rachel and Josh, while he amused us with his wild stories from his week in Vegas with "his boys."

Ainsley called us all in and gave us our lineup. "Okay, so Josh, Will, and I will start up front, with Allie and Reid in the back."

Reid held up his hand for a high five. "Let's go kill it, partner."

I slapped his hand and we went out on the field to start the game.

It was an exhibition game against a team that we had been playing for years. We had a friendly rivalry with them and the games had always been close and clean. Unfortunately, they seemed to have acquired a new player who didn't get the memo that this was beer league soccer. He was running full tilt into people, hip checking them into the boards, and even throwing elbows. 

I managed to avoid him for most of the first half, but then, when I had the ball, I could see him barreling towards me. I passed the ball away and braced myself for the hit that I knew was coming.

He plowed into me with so much force that I flew a few feet before I landed, hard, on my hip. I heard the whistle blow and was just pushing myself up when...

WHAM! 

Reid had charged into the guy and sent him flying into the boards. The ref whistled  again as the guy jumped to his feet and shoved Reid in the chest. Josh and one of the players from the other team quickly got between the two of them before it could escalate further. The ref was shouting, but he was being drowned out by both benches, where all of the players were on their feet, yelling. 

I stood and dusted myself off. Reid was being led to our bench by Josh, but was still turning over his shoulder to yell at the guy who was taunting him now. Josh finally managed to herd him onto the bench. Reid slammed the door to the change rooms hard against the wall and headed back there without saying a word to anyone.

I followed them onto the bench. "You good?" asked Will. "You took a pretty hard hit there."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I clapped Will on the shoulder and made my way over to where Rachel, Sarah and Ainsley were standing together. Sarah was shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

"So I guess that's the other side of Reid that you mentioned," I remarked lightly. 

"No shit. I can't believe he retaliated like that!" Ainsley added.

"Well he really hates it when guys play really rough at coed games," Sarah explained. "Still, I hate when he loses it like this. It's just childish to lose your temper over a rec soccer game."

"Yeah he seemed pretty upset," I said. "Are you gonna go check on him?"

"No, there's no talking to him when he gets like this," Sarah said, shaking her head. "I just give him space and let him cool off. He'll come back when he's ready."

Sure enough, ten minutes later, just as we were going back on the field for the second half, Reid came back onto the bench. He approached me with a sheepish look on his face. "Are you okay?" he asked. 

"Of course," I said smiling. "It takes more than that to keep me down! You know what a beast I am." 

He looked directly into my eyes. "Yeah well... I wish you wouldn't be. Sometimes when you go down, I worry that you won't get back up." 

He said it with such complete sincerity that I felt myself unable to formulate a joking response. Instead, I half-smiled and simply said, "Well I guess it's a good thing that you've got my back out there."

He smiled back and patted me on the shoulder. "Anytime."

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The Many Faces of Reid

Sorry about the delay in today's post! I'm aiming to get at least one more up this week, possibly two. Don't forget to check out the bonuses from this week, if you haven't already! 

*****

After the game, which we won handily, we all headed to our favourite spot for beers and wings. Rachel, Ainsley and I were clustered at the end of the long table with Sarah, Reid, and Jen, our goalie. Everyone was in a jubilant mood, riding on the adrenaline high from the game and revelling in the lingering summer heat on the patio. 

We were reliving the best moments from the season when Jen leaned across Rachel and said, "I haven't even heard about your trip yet!"

Sarah chimed in, "Yeah, we've barely heard anything yet!"

I gave them the highlights of the trip, describing my favourite spots and dramatically retelling our Pink Palace exploits. By the time I finished describing the "body shots" on the booze cruise, we were all laughing our asses off. 

"That's crazy!" Sarah cried. "Who would do something like that... In front of a bunch of strangers!"

Rachel raised an eyebrow and smirked at me. "If she thinks that's crazy..." she murmured so only I could hear.

I fought to avoid blushing at her reference to Marc and Leila's proposition. That was definitely not a story I felt like sharing with the class.

"Well apart from the random boning and bjs, it was a really amazing trip," I said jokingly.

"Your pictures were gorgeous," Sarah added. "Reid and I looked at them, like every day. We had a bit of a bet going, actually."

"A bet?" I questioned. My eyes slid to Reid, who was looking resolutely into his beer.

"Yeah! Reid was positive that Gavin was going to propose on the trip, so we had a bet going for when it would happen!"

"Oh really?" I laughed, "Sorry to disappoint you guys. Getting married isn't really on our priority list right now." My mind flashed to Gavin asking me to move in together. I felt a pang of guilt as I thought of the listings he had emailed me, which I hadn't even bothered to look at. I made up my mind that when I got home, I would look through all of them.

When I tuned back in to the conversation, the topic had switched back to the end of the season. This time, the tone was a little more bittersweet. 

Sarah sighed and said, "I wish the season wasn't ending. I'm going to miss hanging out with you guys over the winter!"

Jen, replied, "You should join our coed team at The Icebox!"

A few years back, several of us from the women's team had started up a coed beer league soccer team that played every Saturday. We had each brought in a few guys we knew, and now we had a core group that spent just as much time partying together as we did playing together. A rec club in the city had converted one of their old, crappy hockey rinks into an indoor soccer field. The club had some fancy name, but everyone I know called it The Icebox. There was a bar upstairs that overlooked the field and the two arenas, where we usually gathered after the games. 

Ainsley, who ran the team, piped in, "You should totally join! One of the girls from last year moved away for grad school, so we have a spot."

I added, "Yeah, it's a good time. Way less competitive than this league, and even more drinking!"

Sarah laughed. "Sounds great! I'm in!"

Reid, who had been sitting and listening quietly, as usual, spoke up. "Do you have room for any guys? I'd love a spot."

Ainsley smiled, "Absolutely! We have a group that has played with us forever but we always have drifters that only play for a season, so we can definitely take you."

Sarah's eyes lit up, "What about Jay? We should get him a spot, too!" She turned to us and said excitedly, "Jay is Reid's best friend. He's a really good soccer player!"

"I'm not sure that's the best idea," Reid interjected. "Jay is.... Well, he's kind of a hothead."

"He's not so bad since he finished his anger management," Sarah countered.

"Anger management?" Ainsley and I echoed.

Reid took a swig of his beer. "Yeah he got ejected from a game after he started a bench clearing brawl, and since it was his third ejection, he had to take an anger management course before he was allowed to play again."

I laughed incredulously, "Hothead sounds like a slight understatement."

Reid grinned. "Yeah, psycho might have been a more fitting choice."

Sarah poked Reid hard in the arm. "I notice you're neglecting to mention your role in that brawl you mentioned," she said teasingly. 

"I'm sorry, WHAT?!" Ainsley cried.

Reid looked down, slightly abashed. "Jay threw the first punch, but I may have been right behind him, throwing the second one."

We were all shocked. Quiet, subdued Reid, actually punching someone?

"I cannot picture that. At all," I said.

Sarah laughed. "You guys are about to see a very different side of Reid if we join this team."

"Well Jay brings it out in me," he argued. His cheeks were pink and I could tell being the center of attention was embarrassing him. It was completely adorable, and I felt myself pushing down that familiar swoon again."Maybe I should join the team alone first, so you guys don't get the full Bash Brothers effect."

So it was decided. Sarah and Reid were joining the team. I reached in and clinked my glasses against theirs as we cheered to the fun season ahead of us. As our glasses met over the table, my eyes caught and held Reid's. I wondered what other sides of him were left to be discovered.

Today's post

Hi everyone! Today's post will be up tonight, instead of at noon - I'm wedding dress shopping with my best friend, and I have a feeling there isn't going to be down time for editing... See you all tonight! If you missed the two bonus posts this week, be sure to check them out below!

Allie and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Bonus as promised! Check back Saturday for Part 2!

*****

"Fucking fuck fuckity fuck," I muttered to myself as I fumbled for my keys in my bag.

It was my first day of classes, and I was wearing the skirt suit I had bought for my internship earlier in the summer. Maybe because I've been a student for several eons, but September always marks the beginning of the year for me, and so I always make a pack of resolutions that drop off around mid-October. This year's soon to be failed resolution was to wear business clothing to classes all year, rather than trying to pass off "dressy" leggings as pants after the first week of classes. 

In the spirit of pretending that I'd be able to keep my resolution, I wore my nicest suit to school. After all, this year I had volunteered to buddy up with a first year law student, and check in with her during the first week of classes to make sure she didn't have a nervous breakdown and drop out. Which just goes to show how out of touch the faculty is - everyone knows that nuclear meltdown happens in November.

So as promised, I met my first year, Madeline, at the on-campus Starbucks. I was doing my absolute best impression of having my shit together, even pretending that she wasn't about to begin three soul-sucking years surrounded by colossal douches that would make her want to gauge her eyes out on a regular basis. I even paid for her latte in a very casual way, as if our first ten years of salary weren't going to be swallowed up by student loan payments.

We were chatting about her course selection as we stood in line waiting for our drinks. In front of us were three university freshmen that were the definition of basic bitches. How do I know they were freshmen? They weren't wearing sweatpants or business wear. Ah, the days when I wore my sexy outfits to class because I cared more about looking hot than sleeping. Good times. It was almost endearing.

Until one of the little idiots turned around and sloshed her strawberry frappucino all over me. I was literally dripping with whipped cream and pink goop. 

That's when I should've realized that it was going to be a shit day. Instead, I merely fake-smiled while dabbing as much off of my dry-clean only suit as possible, trying not to scream my head off. Despite my efforts, there was a trail of pale pink crusty patches all down my beautiful black suit. I took a few deep breaths, and walked Madeline to her first class. 

However, after being clipped by someone's rolling backpack (don't even get me started... WE ARE NOT AT THE AIRPORT), which scratched the back of my best office heels, getting to my first class and realizing my laptop was dead, and now, trying to find my keys in my purse while balancing my books and useless laptop bag, I could no longer suppress my rage. I pulled out the keys, and attempted to contort my hand to get them into the lock. Instead, I dropped them onto the floor.

I reached down to pick them up, and in the process, dropped everything else. My purse exploded on the floor, sending tampons, lip gloss and change careening all over the place.

I stood there for a second. And then I burst into tears. In that moment, I couldn't have told you why I was crying. It wasn't any one thing in particular. Just a day I had tried so hard to make good and yet somehow, had ended up in shambles on the floor.

After a few minutes, I took a deep breath, opened the door, gathered up my mess of belongings, and chucked them into a heap on my coffee table. I walked to my bathroom, stripping off my stained suit as I went. 

I stood in the shower for half an hour, and when I came out, I felt almost human again. I threw on sweats and a baggy t-shirt and plopped on to my couch. I dug through the heap on my coffee table, found my phone and saw I had two texts. 

Gavin's text read, Hey babe, hope you had a great first day! Check your email, I sent you a few listings with open houses this weekend. Let me know what you think.

Guiltily, I closed his text without responding. The prospect of house hunting was just too much after the clusterfuck of a day I'd had.

I opened Rachel's text. Hey, I'll pick you up at 6:15 for the game!

I groaned. I had completely forgotten that tonight was our last game of the season. It was 5:45, and I honestly felt ready to just crawl into my bed and pass out watching Friday Night Lights on Netflix. (Don't judge. Texas forever!)

I texted her back. Rach, today has been the worst. I'm bailing to spend the night with Tim Riggins.

Her reply came almost immediately. No way, Al. It's the last game of the season. Plus, Tim Riggins is mine. I am showing up to your house and dragging you there if I have to. And you're coming for beers after. And you're gonna like it! 

I couldn't help but smile at her pretend tenacity. I reluctantly got up, changed into my soccer stuff, and packed a t-shirt and jean shorts for post-game beers. I even managed to brush my hair and put on some mascara so I resembled the non-shambles version of myself.

By the time that Rachel pulled up outside of my building, I could feel myself starting to shake off the crappiness of the day. On the way there, I entertained her by reenacting all of the disastrous events that had befallen me. We were both laughing as we pulled up to the field. 

A few of the girls were already on the field warming up. We walked over to the bench, where Reid was standing alone, frowning at his clipboard. "Hey!" I sang out as I plopped into the bench.

He looked up, and his whole face transformed into a grin. "Hey."

I felt it. Tingles. 

"How have things been?" I asked, suddenly feeling shy, my eyes on my feet as I laced up my cleats. 

"Not bad. We lost to that thug team without our enforcer, though. Next time you go on a trip, you better clear it with me." His little smirk belied the fake sternness of his tone. 

I laughed. "I'm sure it was just fine."

"Well it sure is good to have you back," Reid said with such sincerity that I found myself dropping my gaze again. "Now both of you get out there and warm up!"

As I jogged out onto the field with Rachel, I looked over my shoulder one last time. Reid's eyes were still on us, and he still had the cute little grin on his face. 

I turned my focus towards the group, where Ainsley practically tackled me with a hug. The girls surrounded me, asking about my trip. The September sun was warm on my face, and I felt a similar warmth bubbling in my chest. In that moment, if anyone had asked, I'd have called it a great day. 

Sun, Sangria, and Salacious Stories

I'm so sorry this post is a day late. I had some major writer's block with it and kept tweaking and rewriting it. Luckily, I also took some breaks and wrote some posts from further ahead in the story! I have a clear idea where I want the story to go, and I'm resisting the temptation to rush right into it. There will be another bonus up this week, aaaaand the regular post on Saturday. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!




I looked around my apartment and sighed. Our flight home had gotten in late the night before and I had essentially stumbled into my apartment and passed out.

I hate unpacking. Hate hate hate it. After every trip that I take, I vow that I will unpack immediately, but instead end up digging out my toiletry bag right away, and periodically taking other things out as I need them. I'm not sure if it's the reminder that the trip is over, or the return to the everyday tedium of laundry that puts me off but either way, I avoid it for way too long.

However, this time I couldn't afford to procrastinate. It was Wednesday before the Labour Day weekend, and I only had five short days to get my shit together before school started. Not to mention the tons of engagements that were already cluttering up my evenings.

I sighed once more, heavily, and resigned to my fate, dove in. I dumped out all of my clothes on the floor. Everything had a warm salty smell, as if I had managed to capture some of the Mediterranean inside each garment. I inhaled deeply, tempted to dive into the pile and take a nap, before beginning to sort things into piles for laundry.

I was about halfway through when my cell rang. I jumped up and grabbed it from my bedside table. The caller ID read "Rhiannon," my best friend.

"Hey hey!" I sang out, as I answered.

"Hey yourself!" she screeched into the phone. "How are you, my little world traveller?"

"Oh you know, very sophisticated and worldly. You'd hardly recognize me now that I'm such a glamorous jet setter."

"Well, if you can humble yourself to hang out with my peasant self, I'd love to see you. I freaking miss your face and I want to hear all about your trip!"

"My schedule is filling up, but I've always got time for my main bitch," I joked.

"How about right now? My seminar got out early and after listening to someone talk about treating infected wounds for the last hour, I could use a drink. Wanna hit a patio and help me forget how many times I heard the word 'pus' this afternoon?" Rhiannon was in her last year of med school, and her schedule was even crazier than mine. Every Wednesday, the med students had a half-day seminar and it was one of the only days I could count on being able to see her.

I hesitated for a split second, looking over at my huge, half-sorted pile of laundry. I felt only the tiniest pang of guilt when I answered, "Sounds great! Where are we going?"

"How about The Pumphouse?" she suggested. It was one of our favourite summer haunts because of its two storey patio and cheap sangria. It also happened to be walking distance from my apartment in the university district. "Rachel said she was free, too. I'll pick her up and we'll meet you there in half an hour."

I showered quickly, spritzed my hair with some wave spray, and applied some light makeup. I threw on one of the few sundresses that wasn't currently crumpled on my floor, and headed to The Pumphouse.

By some miracle, it wasn't too busy and I managed to snag an awesome table. As its name would imply, The Pumphouse was an old pump house on the river that ran past the university. A few years ago, some genius had bought it, cleaned it out and turned it into a restaurant and bar. The inside was all old brick and exposed beams, and they had added on the two story patio to one side, which had a nice view of the nasty polluted river.

I ordered a pitcher of white sangria and one of red and sat back to enjoy the summer sun. Winters in the Midwest are long and bitter, but the summers are so hot that it almost makes up for it.

Rhiannon and Rachel just barely beat the sangria to the table. They both greeted me with hugs and squeals about my tan. After we had all poured ourselves a glass, they hit me with a million questions about the trip.

"Was it amazing?"

"Which place was your favourite?"

"How incredible was the Acropolis?"

I laughed. "Down, girls. The trip was phenomenal. I can't even pick out my favourite part, it was all amazing." I launched into a description of each place we'd visited, egged on by occasional questions from the girls. I saved Corfu for the end.

"Corfu was gorgeous, but the Pink Palace was a shit show. You guys would not believe the shit that went down in this place. I honestly never realized how sheltered I was until I saw complete strangers boning on the beach in broad daylight, practically in my lap."

"Oh my god, WHAT?" Rachel laughed, covering her mouth.

"Yes, it was insane. And THAT isn't even the craziest part," I said, lowering my voice. "We met this Canadian couple there and were hanging out with them a fair amount. They were super chill and normal, and we were even considering continuing to travel with them. Then, on our last night there, completely out of the fucking blue they asked us to have sex with them?"

Rhiannon choked on her sangria, sputtering it all over the table, drawing a few glances from the people sitting around us. When she finally composed herself, she said, "Please tell me you're kidding."

"Nope. It was probably one of the weirdest moments of my life. Super awkward."

Rachel leaned in, both hands on the table. "What did you guys even say to that?"

"We basically mic-dropped and ran. We were super freaked out," I said laughing. I hesitated, not sure how much of the real story I wanted to divulge, even to my two closest friends.

The truth was, I had tried to put the Marc and Leila saga behind me, but I couldn't quite get the idea out of my head. The events of that night, especially my reaction to Gavin's imagery, continued to plague me. I wasn't sure if I found it thrilling or horrifying that Gavin and I had almost taken the plunge into such unexplored territory.

Rhiannon, my best friend for ten years, the girl I had grown up with, shared every major milestone and heartbreak with, picked up on my loaded silence. She raised an eyebrow and remarked, "Seems like there's a bit more to the story..."

I should've known she would read me like a book. "Well, we were really freaked out by the idea at first, but..." I trailed off, suddenly embarrassed.

Rachel's eyes were huge. "You guys didn't actually consider doing it?" I could tell that the possibility shocked her. She and her boyfriend, Derek, had been together since high school and had only ever slept with each other.

I took a deep breath before answering. "Well, actually, yeah. Honestly, the whole thing seemed really exciting and adventurous. I think that we just felt really removed from our real lives and our real selves, and it made it easier to do something that would have normally seemed completely insane."

Rhiannon sipped her drink pensively. "That makes sense... But why didn't you go through with it?"

I gave them the rundown of what we'd seen at breakfast the next day. "Knowing that this was something that they did frequently just destroyed the sexy and risky feeling. Suddenly, it just seemed really sleazy and kind of gross."

"Well I think you dodged a bullet," Rachel announced. "Imagine what that would've done to your relationship. I feel like if I saw Derek with somebody else, I'd go crazy thinking about it forever."

"I don't know," I mused. "A part of me wishes the spell hadn't been broken and we had gone through with it. Just the anticipation of it was exciting."

"Then maybe it's for the best that it didn't actually happen," Rhiannon offered. "You guys had a fantasy of what it would be like, and now that fantasy can remain intact. I bet the real thing wouldn't have measured up to your expectations. Things like that are often better left as fantasies, I think."

I contemplated her words for a moment. Maybe the shared fantasy is what had lit Gavin and I on fire that last week.

The subject was changed, and Rachel mentioned that she suspected that Derek was going to propose soon. We listened as she analyzed all of the little clues he had inadvertently given her, and speculated on the when and where of the potential proposal.

It wasn't until I was walking home a few hours later, buzzed from the sun and the sangria, that I realized I hadn't once mentioned moving in with Gavin. I shrugged it off and kept walking, not allowing myself to wonder why I hadn't brought it up.

Paradise

Hi everyone! Here's today's regular post. I have another one in the works that should be up tomorrow or Monday, and I'm hoping to post at least one more bonus after that during the week. I hope that you're all enjoying the story! Let me know your thoughts in the comments!


Our second week in Greece flew by way too fast. In Santorini, we laid out on the black sand beach, got day drunk sampling wine at a beautiful winery overlooking the caldera, and got to witness the most beautiful sunset in the world in Oia. The gorgeous surroundings seemed to enhance the closeness that I was already feeling with Gavin after the whole Marc and Leila fiasco. We were drunk on each other again, barely making it back to our room each night before tearing each other's clothes off.

From Santorini, we took a ferry to Paros, which was a lot quieter and far less crowded. We rented quads and drove all over the island. On our last day, we visited the Butterfly Valley. We got there early and were the only tourists there when it opened. We stepped into a lush green valley, and were surrounded by what felt like millions of butterflies! They were nestled under leaves, perched on rocks, and hanging from vines like jewel-coloured blooms. For a moment, I just stood there and took it in, completely awe-struck by the magic of this spot. I had never seen anything like it in my life.

My reverie was broken by the click of Gavin's camera. I looked sideways and saw that he was grinning at the screen as he looked at his shot. He lifted his eyes to mine and held out the camera for me to look at it. It wasn't a shot of the garden, but of me reacting to it. "I just had to capture the look on your face."

I studied the picture. I had a small, almost dreamy smile on my face and my eyes were bright with an almost childlike wonder. The awe I was feeling came through the image perfectly. Gavin stepped behind me and slid his hands around my waist, looking at the picture with me. "I want to keep making you look like that for the rest of our lives," he murmured into my ear, before dropping his mouth to my bare shoulder. I leaned back into him, my head spinning from the setting, his touch, and the meaning of his words.

The sounds of other tourists coming through the gate broke the spell that we had been under, and Gavin stepped beside me, taking my hand. We wandered through the valley silently for a while longer, me daydreaming and Gavin occasionally taking photos.

After a while, we headed back to the quad we had rented for the day. "Want to go to the secret beach?" I asked.

"Definitely," Gavin agreed.

On our first day exploring in Paros, we had stumbled upon a pretty little beach that seemed to be completely deserted. We had gone back the next day, and again, had been the only ones there. We headed over and once more found ourselves alone.

We laid out our big beach blanket, and stripped down to our bathing suits. I stretched out on my back immediately, eager to catch a last dose of the sun, while Gavin headed out to the water to cool off. I soon fell into the hazy state of sun worshipping, where the sounds of the water combined with the blazing heat and the tickle of the gentle breeze had me lulled into a semi-conscious state. I sighed contentedly.

Suddenly, I felt a cool, wet touch against my hip. I cracked my eyes open, and saw Gavin lying beside me, his head propped up on one elbow. He lazily traced a path up and down my side with his wet fingers. "Hey sun worshipper," he said, smiling. "Wanna come and play with me?"

"Nuh-uh." I mumbled back.

His hand travelled over my stomach, tracing in circles. His light, cool touch made me shiver. "C'mon, it'll be fun."

"I'm lazy," I protested, running on hand down his bare chest.

His fingertips moved up to rest between my breasts. He stroked my cleavage gently, and I felt my nipples harden. He noticed them through my thin bikini top, and moved his fingers to circle first one, and then the other. I arched into his touch, a low moan coming from my throat.

"I think I can convince you," he said with a grin. He looked around quickly before pulling my bikini top to the side, and drawing a nipple into his mouth. He sucked  gently, as his other hand went to my other breast, alternating between squeezing it and rubbing my nipple with his thumb. I clutched his head tighter to my breast, digging my fingers into his hair. He leaned further on to me, and pulled the other side of my bikini top off, switched his mouth and his hand.

His free hand drifted down to my bikini bottoms. He stroked me through them a few times, and feeling that I was already wet, pulled them to the side and gently strummed his fingers over me.

I bucked into his hand frantically, eager for him to press harder, faster. He pulled his hand back a bit further, teasing me. "Please, Gav..." I moaned.

I heard him laugh softly, before he increased his speed and pressure, sending me hurtling into an orgasm. I clamped my legs around his hand as my entire body went rigid.

Gavin trailed kisses up my chest and neck, gently pulling my bikini back into place as I came down. I opened my eyes and blinked, awareness of our surroundings slowly coming back.

I reached down and started stroking Gavin through his bathing suit. I was just undoing the waistband when we heard a bunch of quads pull up. Gavin grabbed a towel to casually cover his raging boner as a group of girls descended into the beach.

I smiled at him apologetically. "Guess our beach isn't so secret after all."

He exhaled hard. "Well I definitely need to cool off. Wanna come in with me?"

I smiled back. "Sure. You convinced me."

*****

That night, we ate at a restaurant that we'd saved it for our last night after reading about it online. The restaurant was in the second story of a whitewashed building. It had no roof, but instead was covered by a canopy of leaves created by trees that grew right up through the floor. Twinkling stars peeked through the leaves, the only light coming from candles on each table.

We filled ourselves up with the most delicious pasta I've ever eaten. We had just ordered dessert when Gavin reached over and covered my hand with his. "This has been the best trip," he said.

I smiled back. "I don't know if I've ever been this happy in my life. I don't want to go back!"

"I know. These have easily been the best two weeks of my life." Gavin looked down and played with my fingers. He seemed almost nervous. "I've been thinking, and I was wondering if..." He trailed off, before taking a deep breath and looking into my eyes. "I was wondering if you'd like to start looking for a place together once we get back."

"Like a new apartment? I just moved."

"Well, actually, I was thinking a condo or maybe even a house." I started to interrupt him but he raised a hand to stop me. "I know you're still in school, but I have enough saved for a down payment, and I'm making enough to get us by until you start articling."

I looked down, swirling my wine. I felt a flutter of nervousness or excitement in my stomach, I wasn't sure which. I loved that he was asking me to move in, and I was more than okay with leaving my crappy studio apartment. On the other hand, this year was my first year living without roommates. I'd gone from my dorm to sharing a house with two of my law school friends. I'd finally gotten my own place in June and I was loving having a space that was just mine for once. "I..." I stopped, not sure how to put my feelings into words

Gavin's hand tightened on mine and I lifted my eyes to meet his. "We wouldn't move right away. We could take our time looking and make sure that we find a place that's right for us. I've just loved falling asleep with you and waking up next to you. I want that every day."

I felt myself melt and suddenly my hesitation seemed silly. I knew I wanted to spend my life with Gavin, and after three years together, we were ready for this step. I intertwined my fingers with his and said, "Yes. Let's look for a place together when we get back."

The boyish smile that broke across his face was so sweet and adorable that I just had to lean across the table and kiss him right then  and there.

Later as we walked down the moonlit street to our hotel, full of pasta, pastry and wine, I paused and drew Gavin close to me. I inhaled deeply, taking in the moon playing over the water in the harbour, the distant sounds of music and laughter, and the feel of the night breeze in my hair. I rested my head on his chest and sighed.

"This has been a perfect night," I said softly, looking up at him. "I'm so sad our trip is over."

"Me too," Gavin said, dropping a kiss on my forehead.

I pulled him down and kissed him slowly and sweetly. "I love you."

"I love you too, babe," he murmured back. He ran his hands down my arms before stepping back and taking my hand again.

We wound our way back to the hotel slowly, lingering at different points along the way to admire the view one more time. We drew out the journey back as long as possible, neither one of us ready to end our last magical night in paradise.